Dr Sophie Pryor was previously a Volunteer Writer at BioNews, having originally joined the publication under the auspices of its writing scheme. She currently works as a Medical Writer for Abacus International, a global healthcare market access consultancy based in Oxfordshire. Previously she completed a Wellcome Trust-funded PhD in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology at University College London's Institute of Child Health. Her research was conducted in the laboratory of the Institute's Director Professor Andrew Copp, and focuses on the genetics and developmental basis of neural tube defects. Previously she studied Biology at the University of York, and went on to work as a DNA Analyst for the Forensic Science Service.
A US genetics company has been awarded a patent that relates to a DNA analysis service that predicts a baby's traits on the basis of its parents' genes....
Human stem cells have been used to grow miniature brains, 'organoids' that are just millimetres across and at an equivalent developmental stage as in a nine-week-old fetus...
A new diagnostic test that detects whether breast cancer has spread has been recommended for use in NHS practice by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)...
On 25 September 2012 the Progress Educational Trust held a debate on the issues surrounding new techniques to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial disease. The event was organised in partnership with City University London's science journalism course and was supported by the Wellcome Trust....
The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has launched a public consultation on the social and ethical impact of new methods that could prevent the transmission of some incurable mitochondrial diseases....
Families with higher levels of a protein linked to inflammation may be at a reduced risk of dementia....
Stem cells taken from amniotic fluid can be reprogrammed into a more versatile state similar to embryonic stem cells (ES cells) without the introduction of extra genes, UK scientists have found. The discovery offers hope that these cells could be banked for therapeutic use, research and drug screening...
A cardiologist in Bonita Springs, Florida, USA, has had his medical licence suspended after allegedly performing an illegal stem cell treatment on a patient who died during the procedure...
The development of world's first artificial testicle for production of human sperm has been given the go ahead...
Mouse fetal stem cells can travel from the placenta to heal their mother's damaged heart, US scientists have found. The discovery may explain why some women who suffer heart failure during or shortly after pregnancy recover faster, and offers hope for new treatment methods using human fetal stem cells...
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